Conservationists call on minister to issue emergency order to save killer whales
VANCOUVER — Several conservation groups say the federal government’s failure to issue an emergency order reducing threats to endangered orcas off the B.C. coast ahead of fishing and whale-watching season could mean the species’ extinction.
The organizations say Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna did not recommend an emergency order to cabinet by March 1, which could have seen priority feeding refuges established, fishing restricted and speed reductions for commercial vessels put in place for the season.
“Their time is running out and we’re looking for concrete action to reduce threats, not just promises and not just more research,” said Misty MacDuffee, wild salmon program director for the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
MacDuffee said Friday the situation is critical for the remaining 76 southern resident killer whales, adding that they have up to a 50 per cent chance of disappearing in the next century. The population has declined from a high of 96 in 1993.